A Short History of Decay (2014)

Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

I really enjoyed the tempo and pacing of this movie. Felt like a dance all the way through. Parents and kids revealing bits of themselves to each other, then pulling back, then being vulnerable, then teasing. All with a rhythm that felt natural to me. Not all that familiar in terms of my own family, but recognizably real. Yes, the parents are disappointed in their kids -- and they have a right to be -- but that's life. And they still love them. Yes, the parents are in the last chapter of their lives, and they know it, and they're dealing with it the best they can. One false note all the way through was the number of beautiful women available to the younger son. Oh well. It's a movie and that pays for the tickets, I know. Overall, a well told story I will recommend to family and friends.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The actors are excellent and inhabited their characters plausibly. Harris Yulin, the father, is pitch perfect. Linda Lavin, the mother, is good but not great. My highest praise though, is for Michael Maren for writing a good story with genuine characters and pitch perfect dialogue, no tricks, and for directing in a smooth, well paced and confident style. The turning points are organic and not contrived; if we see them coming it's because we have thoroughly bought into the story and empathize with the characters, and the story goes where we would take it. It's not easy to make such a touching film without being saccharine -- Maren succeeds with grace. This is a really good film.

"A Short History of Decay" is a funny, heartbreaking glimpse into our aging, our loves and our losses. There are so many touching moments that have stayed with me - the two grown brothers, sharing their childhood room, who have a fistfight and their mother tells them to settle down, the parents having a party with the mother's manicurist, the painting that Nathan hangs in his parents apartment. At the same time I found myself drawn to the painful portrait of the judgmental father whose sons continue to disappoint him. Beautiful and funny performances by Linda Lavin and Harris Yulin, and a wonderfully drawn sympathetic son, Bryan Greenberg. I think this film will be seen the way "The Squid and The Whale" has been seen – as an iconic look at an ordinary family.

Yes, this is a tear jerker, but it is also the way couples should view their marriage commitment. A wonderful film depicting a glimpse into the world of Alzheimer's. And it doesn't only show the terrible side. The firm maintains the dignity of all the characters in a way you don't often find in this "throw away" society. What do I mean by that? There was no talk about having a poorer quality of life resulting from the Alzheimer's--the main character was still a much-loved member of the family, all the way down to her grandchildren. I think the political musings on the one brother's job could have been avoided and not taken away anything from them movie. I don't think it was the proper background for such disagreements.I really enjoyed this film and plan in seeing it again when it plays locals. I hope many more people take my suggestion.